Drought May Soon Affect Popcorn Prices

Posted September 10, 2012

Some say food prices will go up because of the drought's impact on the state's corn crop.

Fallout from summertime drought may soon pinch popcorn lovers.

Popcorn retail expert Tim Caldwell owns Pop It Rite, and his firm consults with corn growers and retailers as he travels across the Midwest and all over the world.

Caldwell says high heat and little rain severely slowed down the corn pollination process. He is expecting damage to the popcorn crop to reach upwards of 50 percent. Caldwell says corn prices are already going up and he’s expecting more increases come fall.

He says consumers may not see significantly higher prices at movie theaters or through large retailer because popcorn represents a small percentage of their costs. He says higher prices are usually due to packaging and oil.

However, this year and next, Caldwell says supplies are likely to be quite limited for holiday supplies of popcorn.

He also says the quality of the popcorn may not be as high as consumers have come to expect.

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